a thorough, practical, accomplished and christian education,
fit the pupil for the faithful discharge of the responsible duties that await her
in life.
under an able and energetic faculty
an able body of teachers is thus being reared up.
while infants pray and oppressed rage and poets burn and prophets fade and fountains murmur and sons die and churches mold
in the half-life of superstition
the loneliness of a wild haven
surrounded by dark rocks and towering trees
an eden
in the labyrinth of water images of the future glisten unhidden
forever changing dells of poplar
in an ancient valley of unrest
a settling town in a sea of time-eaten towers
buried hopes among the green slopes
with glorious golden banners and echoing throngs
silence interludes obscure and lonely
amid mountains silting into oceans
an eldorado by that infinity
destined for the sounding sea
they would fly clouds ride comets
cross witches transit celestial
swim with sword fish challenge oceans around so called america
in long running ships with massive sail
they would climb through agricola alpes apenninus archimedes
carpatus caucasus cordillera
haemus harbinger
jura
pyrenaeus
recti riphaeus rook
secchi spitzbergen
taurus teneriffe.
boldly they would ride into al-qahira ares auqakuh
bahram
dao
harmakhis her-desher hrad huo-hsing
kasei
labou
ma’adim maja maders mangala marikh marte mawrth
nanedi nirgal
reull
shalbatana simud
tiu.
they would seek for eldorado
woolfolk slatter donovan purvis campbell harker denning
wilson hines fairbanks kephart anderson accinelly,
chained cargo to walk or be hauled down pratt in the middle of the night
to ships agent architect hyperion general pinckney intelligence kirkwood tippecanoe and victorine
and new orleans
uncounted sons or daughters or sisters or brothers or fathers or mothers or lovers.
penned
shackled
sweltered
frozen
drenched
whipped
auctioned.
cash for seamstresses
small fancy girls
fellows
hands
highest prices
always buying.
here is the short list to find our lost soul
adjustment amends atonement
compensation
damages
expiation
indemnification indemnity
punishment
quittance
recompense recoupment redress refund reimbursement remuneration repayment reprisal requital restitution retaliation
satisfaction settlement
an osprey appeared in the mist
a falling meteorite into the harbor
almost unseen.
another soared twisting turning
outmaneuvering five crows giving chase.
a third skimmed to me
and became a beetle as it landed on my hand
large pincers for piercing fruit
eyes blood red and large for walking in dark shadows
serrated fangs for injecting venom
long antennae curled into smoke
reaching in my nose and oozing out my ears.
i put it in my mouth chewed and swallowed
so my children leave faint traces of its indigo exoskeleton
with each footstep
the standard of a body
sons who played a noble part
in the desire to acquire additional territory,
cordial and intense shame
